Swiss chems approve vote against parallel imports

05 June 2008 15:46  [Source: ICIS news]

TORONTO (ICIS news)--Switzerland’s chemical and pharmaceutical industry association SGCI Chemie Pharma on Thursday welcomed a vote by the country’s parliament not to allow parallel imports of patented products.

 

The vote by the Nationalrat against parallel imports would ensure that innovation, a key contributor to the country’s welfare, remained protected, SGCI said.

 

Proponents of parallel imports had argued that such imports would help reduce product prices which were much higher in Switzerland than in neighbouring countries.

 

Switzerland’s agricultural sector has allowed for parallel imports since 2007, a measure that reduced prices for many fertilizers, seeds and crop protection products by some 20%, according to Swiss market reports.

 

The practice of parallel imports occurs when producers or distributors set different prices for their products in different markets. Pharmaceutical firms are among its most vehement opponents.

 

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By: Stefan Baumgarten
+1 713 525 2653

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